Hoping for the best
by im-just-fangirling
Summary: Rebekah and Hope go back to New Orleans after 7 years of hiding. How will The Original family react to their arrival?
1. Chapter 1

Rebekah's mind was in a rush. Two months ago Klaus called and told her that in that same night he had managed to bring peace to New Orleans, completely, after 7 years of uncertainty peace and doubtful alliances. He wasn't a king, like he wanted to, but now vampires, witches, werewolves and humans were at a good place. Surprisingly, he had agreed to let things roll on their own and only step in when extremely needed. Davina, Camille, Marcel, Josh, Hayley and Elijah would all help keeping things under control. The French Quarter didn't have a king anymore, it had a leader.

Rebekah was sure he only agreed to these terms because he was desperate to see his daughter again, and the only way she would ever come back to New Orleans was if there were no one trying to sacrifice her in some crazy witch ritual. During that same call, Klaus also told her to wait a couple of months before coming back with Hope. He wanted to make sure things would stay calm. And now, two months later, she was only an hour away from New Orleans after spending 14 hours on the road with Hope.

It was 11pm and her niece was sleeping in the back seat. 7 years had passed since Rebekah last drove on that road. At the last time she was driving a tiny Hope to their new home in Chicago, where they'd be safe.

Rebekah was worried, she didn't know how Hope would react upon meeting her mom and dad. She knew their faces and the reason they were not with her all those years —to protect her. She also knew they loved her because of the letters they sent. But still, it would be a shock to the little girl. Hope was, despite being kept hidden most of her life, a relatively outgoing child who liked to speak to and hug everybody. She would most likely do great at the reunion, but Rebekah was afraid. Afraid it would be too much for the little one to handle.

At the sight of their family house, Rebekah smiled. She parked the car in front of it and was trying to prepare herself for what was about to happen. She was, at the same time, jumping in excitement and crying in pain. Rebekah always knew Hope wouldn't stay with her forever and that she needed her parents, but those years she spent raising her niece were the bests of her thousand-year old life. Never had she felt such happiness and now she was about to lose that. But she couldn't let herself be that selfish, she had to think about what's best for the little one: her parents. She called Nik and let him know they were there, although he probably already knew. He said they would be waiting at the entrance.

"H, it's time to wake up, love" Rebekah said to Hope, still asleep in the back seat. All she got as a response was a groan.

"That's something very wolf of you. Now wake up, come on," Rebekah waited a few seconds but Hope didn't move. She then got out of the car and opened the back door.

"We've arrived at New Orleans; you need to wake up and then meet some people, remember?" Still no movements. Hope was not willing to wake up at all.

"Ok. I guess I'm going to carry you"  
Rebekah picked up her niece and walked with her asleep in her arms towards the house. She could listen to her siblings and Hayley's fast paced heartbeats. They were anxious, of course. Rebekah sent them a lot of pictures throughout the years, so they already knew how she looked like: blue eyes like her father and brown hair like her mother. She was absolutely beautiful, inside and out.

Rebekah stopped close to the entrance and took a deep breath, Hope still asleep in her arms, then finally entered the compound.

The first pair of eyes she met were Nik's, they were filled with happiness, love and anticipation, and so were Hayley's. She then looked at Elijah, who nodded his head and said a silent "Hello sister", he was also filled with many emotions. Nik's and Hayley's eyes were now glued to the little thing asleep in her arms. Hayley was starting to cry.

"H, love, you need to wake up now," Rebekah said while rubbing her niece's back. Hope woke up —Rebekah heard her heartbeat go faster— but there were no movements, only a groggy little voice  
"I don't want to Aunt Bekah... I want to sleep..."

"I know love, but, please, can you wake up now? I will take you to bed in a little while"

"Fine..."

Hope lifted her head from Rebekah's shoulder and faced her aunt.

"Good morning, sleepy head," Rebekah smiled to her niece.  
"It's dark, Aunt Bekah, so it's 'good night'."

"Well, good night then."

Rebekah put her on the ground. Hope's face was really funny. It was wrinkled from where she'd been sleeping and her eyes were barely open; she was really sleepy.

"Why did you wake me up?"

And before Rebekah had the chance to answer the question, Hope realized she and her aunt weren't alone, so she turned to face the people behind her.

As Hope was standing still, eyes full of surprise, unable to move and heart beating extremely fast, —much like Nik and Hayley— Rebekah said. "Hope, meet your parents: Niklaus and Hayley".


	2. Chapter 2

"Sit down, Hayley, you'll make a hole in the floor," Elijah told her.

"I can't! I just can't Elijah! My daughter will be here at... Is this Rebekah's car? Klaus? Is she here?"

"Just as I said the other 3 times, it is not, " Klaus answered from another part of the house.

"As I was saying, I can't relax Elijah. My daughter will be here at any minute! I will meet her!"

"I know. We are all very anxious, but it won't do any good pace around like that. Come, sit here," Elijah said while patting the seat beside him. Hayley thought for a second and then gave in, seating and letting him put his arms around her, relaxing against his shoulder. Not even one minute had passed when Hayley listened to another motor sound and quickly jumped to her feet.

"That's definitely her!"

"Only if she now drives a truck, " Klaus said again, "She will call, Hayley. Just follow my brother's advice and let yourself relax."  
Hayley sank into the sofa and tried to relax, like everybody was telling her, but she couldn't get her mind out of her little girl. In a few moments her daughter would be there with her, and she would kiss and hug her a lot... She heard a motor sound in the distance, but this time she decided to ignore it. "Rebekah will call," She was repeating to herself.  
Suddenly the sound of Klaus' phone ringing echoed throughout the compound. Hayley quickly got up, followed by Elijah.  
They heard Klaus talking to Rebekah; she was here, in front of the house. They also heard Klaus tell her they would wait by the entrance, so they went downstairs. Klaus was there not even a second later. From where they stood, they could hear Rebekah struggling to wake up Hope.

"She's a heavy sleeper, just like her mom," Elijah whispered into Hayley's ear.

"She gets that from both sides of her family. I too was a difficult boy to be woken up," Klaus said.

"A bucket of water usually did the trick," Elijah said with a smirk.

Hayley smiled, while squeezing Elijah arm harder as Rebekah approached the house. She could hear her daughter's relaxing heartbeat, and that made her cry. She was actually about to meet her girl. Rebekah then made her way in and Hayley's attention was immediately drawn to that little thing sleeping in her arms. She stopped looking at her daughter long enough to make eye contact with Rebekah - precisely 2 seconds - and now she had her eyes glued to her again. Her hair was really beautiful, it had little locks and it was really long. Hayley imagined herself braiding that hair.

"H, love, you need to wake up now," Rebekah side while rubbing Hope's back.

"I don't want to aunt Bekah... I want to sleep..." Hayley was crying and laughing at the same time. Her daughter's voice was so sweet. She had a British accent like Rebekah and her brothers, but hers was extremely cuter.

"I know love, but, please, can you wake up now? I will take you to bed in a little while."

"Fine..."

As Hope started moving in Rebekah's arms, Hayley's heart was almost jumping out of her chest, like Klaus'. She heard a tiny gasp of pain, and that was when she realized she'd been squeezing Elijah's arm too hard. "Sorry, " she muttered. "It's ok," he assured her.

"Good morning, sleepy head."

"It's dark, Aunt Bekah, so it's "good night". Once again Hayley smiled. That girl wasn't an easy one.

"Well, good night then."

Rebekah put Hope on the ground, her back facing them. Hayley just wanted to grab her and never let go of her again.

"Why did you wake me up?"

And before Rebekah had the chance to answer the question, Hope must have realized there were people behind her, because she turned. She was really taken aback. Her once calm heart was now similar to a hummingbird's. Hope was completely still, not much different from Hayley and Klaus.  
Rebekah then said "Hope, meet your parents: Niklaus and Hayley."


	3. Chapter 3

I'm so happy with the reviews and all the kind words, thank you all :)  
Longer chapters are coming, I promise. (Chapter 4, 5 and 7 have over 2,000 words.)  
I wrote a small note on Chapter 1 (then accidentally deleted it and was too lazy to write it again) saying that English is not my first language, so if you find any mistakes please let me know. (:

* * *

Klaus was standing in the middle of his daughter's bedroom. 7 years ago, there was a cradle in there. A cradle she barely used. There were also beautiful curtains, teddy bears and paintings. Now it was slightly different.

There was a hand painted forest in one of the walls that he began painting 5 years before, when he thought, for the first time, that The French Quarter was at peace.

He had prepared everything for a 2-year-old Hope to come home, but not even a week after he called Rebekah telling her to wait a month before returning, the werewolves attacked.

Then, when Hope was 4, he once again thought he had succeeded, but he was wrong. A witch turned against her clan and tried to destroy the French Quarter two weeks after he called Rebekah. He had already bought a bed, new teddy bears and was halfway throughout the painting.

On the third time, when Hope was 6, he didn't bother calling his sister. Elijah kept telling him that that time he had indeed succeeded, that he could call Rebekah and tell her to come home, but Klaus had already accepted things would never turn out O.K. He didn't buy new teddy bears or a new bed. He simply didn't waste any time having hope. He even saw a beautiful yellow curtain while walking down the streets with Camille, but did not buy it. He knew things would never work out and he was right. This time, a pack of werewolves tried to kill Hayley and take over the French Quarter.

Then, a year later, when Hope turned 7, he realized what the problem was. He could never be the king, he had to be a leader, he had to work together with all the vampires, werewolves, witches and humans. He was not fond of this idea, after all, his dream was to have The French Quarter in the palm of his hands, but he gave up this dream in order for his daughter to come back.

So this time he called Rebekah, he called and told her to wait two months before coming back. He had to be absolutely sure no one would want to hurt her. He then told the witches and werewolves she was alive and both the groups vowed by their bloods not to hurt her, then Klaus informed them he and his family would burn down their entire species if anyone harmed his daughter.

Now he was in Hope's freshly decorated room, staring at the beautiful yellow curtain Camille gave. His friend bought the same one they had seen while walking down the street and kept it hidden for a year. She told him she went to the store the next day to buy it because of the faith she had that Klaus would be able to bring his daughter home.

Davina also gave her a present. The witch transformed her bedroom ceiling into a sky. In the morning, one would see clouds and a beautiful blue sky, at night, it would transform itself into a night full of sparkling stars. Her bed was white and facing the wall with the forest. All the other furniture were also white. Klaus carved small wooden animals to place on her shelf and bought a lot of books and new painting material. Rebekah had told them some things about their daughter, like how she liked yellow and her love for books and drawing.

Hayley's voice interrupted his thoughts, again.

"Is this Rebekah's car? Klaus? Is she here?"

"Just as I said the other 3 times, it is not," He answered a bit annoyed.

He wasn't annoyed by the question itself, he was annoyed by the amount of times she'd asked that same question. He'd already said his sister would call.

"That's definitely her!" Elijah's pleas weren't working apparently, and Hayley, for the fourth time, thought Rebekah was arriving.

"Only if she now drives a truck. She will call, Hayley. Just follow my brother's advice and let yourself relax."

He heard her sank into the sofa, not pleased.

Then he heard it, the distinguishable sound of a Volvo motor, Rebekah's car. Hayley couldn't recognize motor sounds otherwise she'd be jumping around the house by now.

His phone rang and he heard both Hayley and Elijah running to the hallways.

"Sister?"

"I'm here Nik. I'm in front of the house."

"We'll be waiting by the entrance."

He quickly went downstairs and met Elijah and Hayley. They could hear Rebekah trying, and failing, to wake up Hope.

"She's a heavy sleeper, just like her mom," He heard Elijah whisper into Hayley's ear.

"She gets that from both sides of her family. I too was a difficult boy to be woken up."

"A bucket of water usually did the trick," Elijah said with a smirk.

Hayley smiled, and so did Klaus, although none of them saw it.

Klaus then heard a different sound among four fast and loud heartbeats: a calm heartbeat, from someone who had no worries in life. He was listening to his daughter's heart, and it was like music to his ears. In a thousand years, that was definitely the most beautiful song he'd ever listened to.

Then Rebekah entered the house. She immediately looked at him, and he made a mental note to thank her later, again. Klaus was now giving all his attention to the little sleepy being on his sister's arms. He was utterly amazed. From the pictures Rebekah sent them, they could see a happy, beautiful young girl. He couldn't believe he was about to meet her. After a thousand years of pain he would have a chance of being happy. He'd promised a newborn Hope that he would be the best father in the world, he would love and cherish her, something his father never did.

"H, love, you need to wake up now," Rebekah said while rubbing his daughter's back. She woke up, but there were no movements, only a sleepy voice.

"I don't want to Aunt Bekah... I want to sleep..."

Klaus thought he might be wrong before and that the most beautiful sound in the world was actually his daughter's voice. It had an accent, of course, after all, she grew up with Rebekah, and It was full of innocence.

"I know love, but, please, can you wake up now? I will take you to bed in a little while."

"Fine..."  
Hope lifted her head from his sister's shoulder and faced her. Klaus couldn't help but picture how good it must feel to hold his daughter.

"Good morning, sleepy head,"

"It's dark, Aunt Bekah, so it's 'good night'."

"Well, good night then."

Rebekah put her on the ground. They couldn't see her face yet, only her back. Her hair was completely messy.

"Why did you wake me up?"

And before Rebekah had the chance to answer the question, Hope realized she wasn't alone with his sister and turned to face whoever was there with them.

As his daughter was standing there, eyes full of surprise and not moving a muscle, like all four of them, Rebekah said "Hope, meet your parents: Niklaus and Hayley."


	4. Chapter 4

For a few seconds, they all remained still, like rocks. Hope's eyes switching between Hayley and Klaus. Then Hope made the first move, but in the wrong direction. She took a few steps backwards and held a tight grip around her Aunt's leg.

"H, what are you doing love? These are your parents," Rebekah said while gently tanking her niece's hands and leading her towards them.

Hope was unsure of what to do and so were Klaus and Hayley. She was in the space between her aunt and parents, not looking at them anymore. She decided her shoes needed all of her attention and was now staring at them.  
Hayley, trying not to cry, took a few steps towards her daughter, kneeled in front of her and said "Hi, Hope." Hope answered her with a barely audible "Hi", still giving her undivided attention to the shoes.

"I'm Hayley. Nice to meet you"

"Nice to meet you too..."

"God, you are so big! The last time I saw you you were so tiny." Hayley was now using all of her strength not to break. All she wanted was to grab her daughter and give her uncountable kisses and hugs but she wouldn't do that before asking her, otherwise Hope would probably get scared.

Hayley hesitantly raised her hand towards her daughter, unsure of how the little girl would feel about her gesture.

"You are so beautiful..." She said while tucking her daughter's hair behind her ear.

Hope finally decided to look at her mother. When Hayley's eyes met her daughter's she couldn't keep herself from crying.

"Aunt Bekah always said I look a lot like you, except for the eyes."

"Yes, definitely not the eyes. Mine aren't pretty like yours." Hayley said while smiling and crying.

"Yes, they are. Well, at least I think they are." Hayley couldn't help but laugh a little at her daughter's remark.

"Well, thank you."

Hope smiled and Hayley's heart melted. Her daughter had the most beautiful smile she had ever seen.

Hayley finally decided to try doing what she was dying to.

"Hope... I really, really would like to hug you. Can I do that?"

Hope looked at her and for a nanosecond Hayley thought she might have said the wrong thing, but then the little girl nodded her head giving her mom a cute little smile.

Hayley sighed with relief and embraced her daughter in a tight hug. Hope hugged her back, making her mother cry even harder.

After hugging her, Hayley cupped her face in her hands, admiring every little detail of Hope's tiny face.

"Oh my baby girl," she said still cupping her daughter's face. She then gave Hope a lot of kisses on the cheeks, to which the girl giggled, making Hayley smile from ear to ear.

While hugging Hope one more time, Hayley remembered Klaus was standing there, waiting to meet their daughter. She let go of Hope -although that was the last thing she wanted to do- kissed her forehead and said "Hope, there is another person here crazy to meet you"

Klaus heart started beating nonstop; he would finally meet his little princess.

Hope looked at her father, again unsure of what to do, and he looked at Hayley, who gave him a motivating smile.

"I'll see you later, honey" She said while caressing her daughter's cheeks.

Hayley then realized Rebekah and Elijah had left the three of them alone on the patio. Upon hearing their voices in the kitchen, she drove herself there, leaving father and daughter alone. She knew Klaus would feel much more comfortable being left alone with their daughter.

He shortened the distance between them, kneeling in front of his daughter.

"Hello, love." Klaus's eyes were filled with unshed tears. The last time he saw his daughter's eyes, she was just a day old.

"Hello... You call people 'love' just like aunt Bekah"

"Well, she calls people 'love' because she heard me do that a lot."

An awkward silence settled between them, until Klaus broke it.

"I'm very happy to meet you Hope. I've waited a long time for that."

"I'm happy too... I... uh... kept all the drawings you sent me. I really liked them."

"Rebekah told us you are also an artist."

"I can draw birds and trees like no one in my class." She stated proudly.

Klaus laughed. "I bet they are the most beautiful birds in the world."

"Not true. Yours are much prettier."

"I highly doubt that, love."

Hope let out a smile and Klaus felt his cold heart warm; she was truly a ray of sunshine, just like Rebekah had told them.

"Aunt Bekah told me you are the best artist she knows and because of that I will be a great artist too."

"You are going to be better than me, no doubt."

"She also said something about a mischievous grin... But I don't really know what that means."

Klaus laughed again, that indeed sounded like something Rebekah would say.

"It means you like to have fun, love."

"That I do."

Klaus noticed Hope was getting comfortable; she was speaking more and hasn't looked at her shoes in a long time.

Uppon consideration, he decided to ask her for a hug too, he couldn't wait any longer, he needed to hug his child.

"Hope... I was wondering... Can I have the honor to hug you too?"

Hope nodded her head, smiling, she would never say "no" to a hug.

Klaus then embraced his daughter, burying his face in her hair, not able to fight back the tears anymore. He, like Hayley, cupped her face in his hands to admire every detail. After a few seconds, he let go of her for a moment to make a promise.

While holding her small hands and looking into her eyes, he told her: "Hope, I promise you, we will never be apart again. We will all stay together, like a family."

"Pinky promise?" she said innocently, holding up her hand. He let out a smile at his daughter's gesture and entwined his little finger with hers. "Pinky promise," he said. He hugged her once again and then reluctantly let go of her to stand up. Absent-mindedly, Hope reached out for his hand, and he took it, smiling.

"Ready to see your room, Princess?"

"I have a room?"

"And it has a yellow curtain."

"Yellow?! That's my favorite color of all colors!" She said excitedly.

"I know."

"How?"

"Your Aunt Rebekah may have said some things about you. Now let's fetch them in the kitchen."

They walked to the kitchen, Klaus still holding her hand. He noticed how her eyes quickly moved from one thing to another, trying to take in everything. When they reached the kitchen, she stumbled across someone she hadn't met yet. Hope knew who he was because of her Aunt's pictures. Her uncle was seating on one of the high benches, beside her mother and opposite her Aunt.

"Hello, little lady, " Elijah smiled to her.

"Hello. You are Uncle Elijah," Hope stated.

"Indeed. Nice to meet you," Elijah said, offering his hand to her. He wanted to hug her, but didn't know how both the girl and his brother would react.

Hope looked at his hand in front of her and smiled "Aunt Bekah said you are the most polite person she'd ever met. Can I just hug you instead of shaking your hand?"

Rebekah let out a playful relieved sigh "Now that's the H I know! I was wondering where my niece had fled to."

"Of course you can." Elijah gladly answered and opened his arms for Hope. The girl hugged her uncle and then proceeded to stand next to Rebekah.

"Aunt Bekah! Did you know I had a room here?!"

"Of course I knew. I even told your parents the things you like the most."

"Your room is very beautiful, Hope," Hayley said "We spent a lot of time organizing it."

Klaus, who was leaning against the door frame, said "Why don't we all go upstairs to take a look at it? Sister, you too haven't seen it yet."

"'Elijah and Hayley were telling me about it. It was very thoughtful of Camille and Davina."

"Who are those?" Hope asked.

"Friends of ours. You will meet them soon. " Klaus answered with a smile.

"Let's go, then?" Hayley said while offering Hope her hand. She took it and they followed Klaus upstairs. Elijah offered his arm to his sister, who accepted with an eye roll and a smile, and they also went upstairs.

"It seems things haven't changed at all. We are still following Nik." Rebekah said with a smirk.

"Oh, Rebekah, it's so good to have you back. I've missed this annoying voice of yours," Klaus answered without looking at her.

"He missed having someone calling him 'Nik'," Elijah informed Rebekah.

"What can I say? After a thousand years I got used to it. What I didn't miss was the frequency and loudness it used to be spoken." Rebekah answered him with her iconic eye roll.

"I've missed this eye roll too, although we had Hayley here who could perform it just fine."

"Hey! You deserve all my eye rolls. Not my fault if you are annoying as he...ck"

"I know I'm not supposed to say 'hell'. Aunt Bekah says it's a grown up word."

"That's right. Grown up word," Hayley would have to be more cautious with her words. She wasn't used to have children around, meaning she had developed a very colorful vocabulary.

They were all standing outside Hope's room. The door was white and it had "Hope" written in a fancy, beautiful handwriting.

"Ready to go inside?" Klaus asked her.

She nodded her head and he opened the door.

Hope was mesmerized. She opened her mouth to say something but the words wouldn't come out. That room was much bigger than the one in the Chicago apartment. She immediately went for the wall with the forest.

"This is the most beautiful wallpaper I have ever seen."

"That's not a wallpaper, love."

"You painted this?!"

"Wow, Nik... This is probably your finest work in a thousand years."

"Only the best for the best." He said looking at Hope, who was still staring at the forest. She then noticed something strange about the bedroom ceiling.

"Is... Is it sparkling? Yes! It's sparkling! Aunt Bekah, look!"

"I'm looking, H... Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Who did this?" Hope asked, looking at her father.

"Our friend Davina. She's a witch."

Hope was about to say something when she noticed a wooden unicorn on the shelf.

"A unicorn..." She said most to herself than to anyone in particular.

"I carved some wooden animals to place on the shelves. Rebekah told us you fancy unicorns so I couldn't let this one out."

Hope's eyes were sparkling just as bright as the stars in the ceiling. She seated on the bed and bounced a little, it was very comfortable. She was thinking about bringing all her stuff from Chicago and where she would put them.

"So... Did you like it?" Hayley had moved to sit on the bed beside her.

"I did... It's -" she was interrupted by a yawn, but after it continued like nothing had happened "perfect!"

"I guess someone wants to sleep." Hayley said while caressing her daughter's hair.

"No! I'm fine. I want to see the rest of my stuff! And the house!"

"You'll have plenty of time for that tomorrow, love. We had a 15 hour road trip, you need to rest."

"But Aunt Bekah... " she said, pouting.

"Your pouts don't work on me anymore, H. You know that."

"Fine. Tomorrow then," She gave in.

Rebekah gave her a big kiss on the cheeks, a squeeze on the belly and then said "Good night, little monster," gaining a kiss from her niece. Elijah, who had been leaning against the door frame, winked at her and said "Good Night, Hope. Sleep well."

Elijah and Rebekah left the bedroom, leaving Klaus and Hayley with their sleepy daughter.

"I'm very glad you liked this room. It was always meant to you." Klaus leaned and gave his daughter, who was already tucked under the covers, a good night kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow, Princess."

"Good nigh," She said with a groggy voice.

Klaus then left the room, leaving Hope with her mother.

"Big day, huh?" Hayley said.

"Yeah..."

"Ok, I'm not going to bother you anymore. Good Night, baby." Hayley kissed her forehead and was about to leave the bedroom when Hope said something.

"Uuuuuh... Hey, " Hope didn't know how to call her - 'Hayley', 'Mom' - so she opted for 'Hey'.

"Yes?"

"Aunt Rebekah usually tells me a goodnight story. Can you do that? I'm really sleepy but I also really like stories."

Hayley, once again, had to control herself not to cry. She smiled and said "Of course I can. I can't say my stories are as interesting as hers, though. What if I told you about the time I was 12 and me and some friends broke into a crazy neighbor's house to retrieve a baseball ball?"

Hope laughed "That sounds fun."

"And it was. But it's also something you shouldn't do."

Hayley seated on her daughter's bed to tell the story feeling like the happiest woman on earth.


	5. Chapter 5

You must know a few things before reading this chapter:

I'm obsessed with Rebekah. I love her and I think she deserves to be happy, so I created a new character that will play an important role in her life.

One more thing I am obsessed about: siblings relationship, so I REALLY like to write about this.

Hope will interact again with her family on chapter 9 (that I'm still finishing).

I'll be writing more about this new character because, as I said before, Rebekah deserves to be happy.

For those who would like to know how I imagine this new character, google "Cal - Orphan Black" (another AWESOME tv show that everybody should watch, seriously.)

My friend **_naataliacar_** was very upset because I forgot to mention her, so here it is. She is awesome and never complains when I ask her to proofread my chapters. She also gives me a bunch of ideas (:

**AND I AM VERY HAPPY WITH ALL THE REVIEWS :3 THANK YOU VERY MUCH**

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Elijah and Rebekah were sitting on the patio, at one of the tables. Not even an hour ago, in that same patio, a family had been reunited and hearts had been mended. Now there were two originals gazing at the stars. Rebekah put her feet in another chair to relax while Elijah took off his jacket, placing it on the table. They were enjoying the silent night, enjoying the fact that, at least for now, things would get much easier and happier.  
After a moment Klaus joined them, lifting Rebekah's feet from the chair and gaining a frown from his sister in the process. Still frowning, she put her feet on top of his legs.

It was then that they started hearing Hayley's story. All of them were now paying attention to the mother telling her kid a bedtime story. It was a simple story, full of innocence and fun. They could easily picture a young Hayley doing all the stuff she was talking about; climb a tree, run away from a dog and an angry neighbor, fall with her face in the mud...

After a few minutes, the story came to an end and Hayley made her way out of the room, where Hope slept peacefully, to join the others.

"The woman really chased you with a frying pan?" Rebekah asked as soon as Hayley reached them.

"Yes, she did. She was a very crazy old lady."

Hayley was about to get a chair from another table to sit with them when Klaus said "There's no need for that, love. I'm going out," Klaus then turned to Rebekah "And I would like you to join me, sister. I want to have a word with you."

"Really, Nik? Can it wait 'till tomorrow?"

"Please?" He said, offering her his hand.

After a brief consideration, Rebekah sighed and took the offered hand. It was rare for her brother to say something as simple as "please".

They left the compound, headed to the square.

"You should really think about renaming the house. Hope knows French, what are you going to tell her when she asks why is it named 'The Slaughterhouse'?"

Klaus thought a moment and then said "Hope, your father was a very disturbed man. My main purpose in life was to ruin, hurt, torture and eventually kill people. That's why I named this house 'The Abbatoir'."

"Interesting how you used all the verbs in the past."

"Well, I promised Hope and... Another person, that I would only ruin, hurt, torture and kill someone if that someone is a threat to my family."

"Is this 'Other Person' a blonde young vampire whose best friend's life you ruined?"

"Oh, please. Elena's fine."

Rebekah chuckled. Of course Elena was fine, she has had almost a decade to recover from everything, and besides, she had that army of boring people to help her.

"I think you didn't bring me here to talk about your love life, Nik."

"If there was a love life to talk about we would not be talking about it."

"Right... Some things never change."

"I brought you here because I wanted to thank you."

"You have already done that. Several times."

Klaus was now standing in front of her, his eyes locked on hers.

"Never in person. I wanted to look you in the eyes and tell you that I'm beyond grateful for what you did. You managed to see past our differences and take care of my most precious thing and for that, sister, I will never be able to thank you enough."

Rebekah was touched by his words. It was very rare to see Klaus speaking like that.

"She's this family most precious thing, Nik. You don't need to thank me for protecting and loving my own blood. It's just what we do for the ones we love."

"Still, I do appreciate what you did. And I always will."

Rebekah smiled, acknowledging Klaus words and they resumed their walk.

"There's one more thing I would like to talk to you about... Come live with us again. Say 'yes' because if I have to spend one more day alone with those two I swear I'm going to stab myself."

Rebekah laughed and Klaus smiled again. He would never say that out loud, but he truly missed his sister's laughs.

"Oh come on, I bet they are not that annoying. Anyway, you have Hope now, you wouldn't be alone," Rebekah was just playing with him, she wouldn't leave her niece and Hope would never let Rebekah leave, they were too close.

"She's not old enough to drink Scotch," He said looking at her with suggestive eyes.

"Now that you've mentioned Scotch I can't decline your request."

He smiled. "Well, then... Care to join me at the bar?"

"Do you think Elijah would come if I called? All the original vampires at a bar... That sounds like the beginning of a crappy joke."

Klaus laughed. "As much as I would enjoy having both of you getting under my skin, he wouldn't accept the invitation. Hope would be left alone with Hayley and we agreed to never let her without the protection of at least one of us."

"And when were you two planning on telling me that? I've seen it coming, but still, a little heads up would've been nice."

"We would let you know. Now let's go to the bar, sister," He said while offering her his arm.

"You and Elijah are always doing that. I can walk by myself, did you know that? We are not in the 20's anymore," She said while taking the offered arm.

"We all know how much you liked the 20's."

"Yes, I did enjoy those few years before you daggered me," Rebekah said with a smirk.

"No need to worry about that now, love. Those daggers are currently enjoying their new home in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean."

Rebekah was feeling much more relaxed now that Klaus had thrown away the daggers. For too long she had lived under the fear of being daggered. It felt good to be free. Still, she felt insecure about telling Nik her news. She would tell Elijah first, of course, but eventually, she would have to tell Niklaus, especially if she was going to live with them.

Happy moments were rare for the Mikaelson family, especially for Klaus and Rebekah. For the past millennium, they've all lived under fear and pain, even when they were humans. That's why Rebekah liked to hold on to the simple moments of peace she and Klaus had, after all, she never knew how long they would last.

They finally reached their destination. The bar was crowded and some people stopped what they were doing to look at her. 'Great, one more original' they must have thought. Rebekah and Klaus seated at the bar, making their orders.

"I bet you truly misses Camille working here."

"Yes, I do. These new people are horrible," He said while glancing at the staff and then continued "We still talk and drink together but not as much as before."

"I like Camille, she can keep you sane."

Rebekah thought for a second and then decided to continue.

"Speaking of people who can keep you sane... When did you promise the pom-pom girl you would be a better hybrid?"

Klaus sighed.

"She has a name... And she hasn't been a cheerleader for a decade."

"You didn't answer my question."

"And I never will." He smirked.

"Oh come on, Nik! Elijah will tell me anyway. You might as well just tell me now."

Klaus looked at his sister, deciding if he should tell her. He said a silent "Alright, then", finished his drink and answered her question.

"About a year ago. I went to NY to find a witch friend of mine, who turned out to be dead," Upon seeing his sister raised eyebrows, he added a "Not my fault" and then continued "I ran into her. She was working as an event planner. Who would ever thought Caroline Forbes would actually make something out of her bossing skills... She was planning an annual Halloween Parade. Anyway, things were sort of calm here so I decided to stay in NY for a week. On my last day there, I promised her I would become a man worthy of her... And that as soon as things were settled down I would go find her, " Klaus smiled to himself at the memory.

"I don't know if I'm more impressed by the fact that you told me that or that Blondie managed to get out of Mystic Falls alive."

"I would like to remind you that you are blonde too, Rebekah, in case you have forgotten. Now about Caroline, she told me that after her mother's death, it became too painful to live there, so she traveled across the East Coast trying to find a place to stay."

Rebekah noticed how his eyes glowed when talking about Caroline.

"Nik, why aren't you on a bloody plane right now?"

"I don't know, sister, maybe because you just brought my daughter back."

"You could have gone after meeting her and be back in two days!"

"Rebekah, I just met my daughter, I won't be leaving so soon. Besides, I don't even know if Caroline would ever want to live here." He said the last sentence with sad eyes, staring at his empty glass.

Rebekah was at a loss for words, she could count on one hand the times her brother showed to be really hurt. It was rare for him to express such emotions.

"You don't need to say anything. In fact, I'd rather if you don't."

"Nik, I..."

"Well, I'm going home. You can stay here if you want," He said abruptly, already on his feet.

Rebekah couldn't believe it, she had been thinking of some excuse to get away from everybody so she could call Christopher and Klaus had just given her the chance to do so.

"I guess I will stay here a little bit more, enjoying what New Orleans has to offer."

He smiled. "Ok then. I'll see you back home. Oh, if you want to have a late dinner, I ask you to keep some distance from the French Quarter, I promised we would not feed from local useless beings."

"I'm good. We stopped by a hospital on our way here."

He nodded his head and then left the bar.

She waited until she could no longer hear his footsteps to make the call. Christopher answered on the first ring.

"Hello, babe." He knew how much she hated that nickname.

"Call me that again and you won't live to see another day."

He laughed. "Noted."

"I just wanted to tell you that everything went perfect, Hope met them and now she's asleep. As we predicted, Nik and Elijah asked me to move back."

"Have you told them yet?"

"No. I plan to do it as soon as possible. I will tell Elijah first, of course, and I think Nik won't have a problem with it, since he's in love too, but I'm not sure. Nothing is predictable when it comes to Niklaus. By the way, remember me to tell you about Blondie."

"You're in love? Who's the lucky fellow?"

Rebekah smiled and pretended to be annoyed.

"Oh, stop it."

She heard him sigh.

"I miss you two, Bex. Everything is awfully quiet."

"I'm sure soon enough you will be missing these quiet moments."

"I doubt that. Anyway, I give you two weeks, then I'm going to New Orleans even if an original puts a price on my head."

Rebekah laughed. "Let's just hope that's not the case," She sighed and continued "Listen, I have to hang up. I need to go."

"Ok. Try calling tomorrow."

"I will, promise."

"And Bex..."

"What?"

"I love you."

She would never get tired of listening to him say those words.

"I love you too."

And she would definitely never get tired of saying it.


End file.
